Freedom Flies
Computing Culture Group

Researchers:		Chris Csikszentmihalyi
Project Web site:		http://weblogs.media.mit.edu/compcult/archives/000013.html
Group Web site:		http://weblogs.media.mit.edu/compcult/

Freedom Flies is an exploratory technology aimed at offering basic Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technology to the journalism and human rights NGO communities. Typical UAVs cost on the order of $500,000 per system. In contrast, ours is targeted at a few thousand, but more importantly it's open source. Hardware, software, and fabrication techniques are easily reproduced. Some information is online, more will follow in early 2006.

The unit itself is built from commonly available parts (a weed-eater engine, bicycle rim, water bottle, and kite-surfing kite), glides to the ground via a parachute in case of system failure, and travels quite slowly (30mph). It can carry over 15 lbs, allowing it to lift video, gps units, pamphlets, water, food and other payloads.

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